Quadrant Healthcare (uk) Limited

Andaris Limited

Elam Drug Delivery Limited

Peter J Senior

Richard A Johnson

Andrew Derek Sutton

David Heath

Microparticles of a water-soluble material, which are smooth and spherical, and at least 90% of which have a mass median particle size of 1 to 10 &mgr;m, and which carry a therapeutic or diagnostic agent can successfully be used in dry powder inhalers to deliver the said agent.

Spray-dried microparticles and their use as therapeutic vehicles

Microcapsules are prepared by a process comprising the steps of (i) spray-drying a solution or dispersion of a wall-forming material in order to obtain intermediate microcapsules and (ii) reducing the water-solubility of at least the outside of the intermediate microcapsules. Suitable wall-forming materials include proteins such as albumin and gelatin. The microcapsules have walls of 40-500 nm thick and are useful in ultrasonic imaging. The control of median size, size distribution and degree of insolubilization and cross-linking of the wall-forming material allows novel microsphere preparations to be produced.

Preparation of diagnostic agents

Microcapsules are prepared by a process comprising the steps of (i) spray-drying a solution or dispersion of a wall-forming material in order to obtain intermediate microcapsules and (ii) reducing the water-solubility of at least the outside of the intermediate microcapsules. Suitable wall-forming materials include proteins such as albumin and gelatin. The microcapsules have walls of 40-500 nm thick and are useful in ultrasonic imaging. The control of median size, size distribution and degree of insolubilisation and cross-linking of the wall-forming material allows novel microsphere preparations to be produced.

Microparticles of a water-soluble material, which are smooth and spherical, and at least 90% of which have a mass median particle size of 1 to 10 .mu.m, and which carry a therapeutic or diagnostic agent can successfully be used in dry powder inhalers to deliver the said agent.

Growing community of inventors

Near Melbourne, United Kingdom

Peter J Senior